1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a process of forming a non-woven webs including a poly(phenylene ether) component, a poly(phenylene ether) polysiloxane block copolymer, and specifically to a process for forming such webs at a high rate of at least 300 grams/hour/spinneret.
2. Description of the Related Art
Polyphenylene ether (PPE) resins, such as NORYL resins, which are modified PPE/olefin resin *lends that offer toughness, a wide range of stiffness, flame retardancy and are available from SABIC Innovative Plastics, have been converted down to 15 to 20 microns in diameter using the melt spinning process, but haven't been used in the melt blown area. Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) has been spun to 10-20 micron range via melt spinning, and to 1-10 microns using the melt blown process.
Electro-spinning of these resins is possible, but the cost of the resin and the slow throughput rate of this process have made this method commercially unacceptable. Typical production rates for this process are in the 200 to 300 grams per hour, and 60 meters per minute line speed rates.
These materials would be desirable in many applications and composite structures that require various unique properties of the different resins to perform in the necessary environment. Many of these applications require the resins to be in a fiber size much smaller than currently achievable using conventional methods of fiber production at a reasonable throughput rate. This has been a barrier to the introduction and testing of many of these resins suitability for use in these applications. It would be desirable to use these materials in nano-fiber form produced from the force spinning process in applications such as electrical paper, battery separator membranes, structural composites and filter papers, etc.